


Dragon Scale

by SDari



Category: AU - Fandom, Original Female Character - Fandom, The Hobbit (2012), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: No pairings yet - Freeform, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-05
Updated: 2013-03-17
Packaged: 2017-11-28 09:25:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/672838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SDari/pseuds/SDari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>None of the doctors knew what was wrong with her. She should have been as fit as a fiddle and as strong as an ox, but instead her body continued to consume its own muscles and begin the process of her leaving the earth...</p><p>Someone, however, has decided it is not her time to find her place in a lonely cemetery. Instead she's been sent to another world and thrust into an adventure. This is her story of finding new strength in a familiar form, and the chaos that ensues with her arrival to Middle Earth.</p><p>(This is my first fanfic, and it's unbeta'd. All the mistakes are of my own making. It's mainly movie-verse, and AU where none of the dwarves died, takes place after BoFA, and LotR doesn't happen.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Husk

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any of Tolkien’s work. This includes language, characters, and continents. I do however lay claim to my personally created characters and images (which will be posted generally near the top of each chapter).
> 
> An asterisk (*) by a word means there is a definition or explanation at the bottom notes.  
> Italicized sentences are thoughts.

 

  
  


_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

Sunken blue eyes swiveled in their sockets. They shifted until they settled on the smeared panes of a window overlooking a clogged city. The sky was grey today, and promised only lousier weather would follow. When would the sun come out? She missed the way the light would brush against her skin, and the warmth that would follow. It was the only warmth to be found in this sterile, lifeless place. This place where kin were left in “good hands,” only to be abandoned, swept beneath the rug, and put on the bottom of the totem pole of priorities.

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

She looked like she had been going through months of chemotherapy with her patchy head of brittle brown hair, but she hadn’t. Nor was she suffering from cancer. The doctors and nurses were stumped. They had no idea what plagued her body with sickness. They had drawn many samples from her: blood, urine, stool, and whatever else they could think of to try and find an answer. The problem was everything came clean, and her medical records showed she had been a very healthy person. They couldn’t even blame her tonsils as they had been removed when she was twelve. 

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

Still every day she was robbed of her strength. Her body continued to eat away at her muscles even though she was jam packed with IVs that gave her everything she needed. Her family by this point had stopped visiting her. She didn’t blame them, not really, because she knew she looked like a husk. She was a husk; a shell of the person she used to be. Plus she was tired of their pitying stares and the way their eyes brimmed with tears every time they inched into her room. She shook her head. Life’s not fair and then you die. Guess that’s the truth, She thought tiredly.

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

She looked to the left at her bedside, and pushed the button to raise the bed. She held it down until she was in a sitting position, and then outstretched a twig thin arm. Spindly fingers reached out and grasped the rolling table, and with exertion she was not supposed to express she pulled it over. She was so weak it drew sweat upon her brow, which only made her release a laugh of despair. She wiped at her forehead with her palm and ran her slick hand down the side of her medical gown. The young woman sighed, and then turned her attention to her prize. Upon the table was a laptop which she opened and turned on. It did so with a quiet churr.

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

The young woman connected the cord, and then pulled down her tablet. She reached for her pen, and with it opened an art program. She brought the tablet pen to her mouth and idly chewed on the tip. What should she draw? She looked about the room, debating if she should attempt some sort of realism, when her eyes drifted down to look at the mass of IVs stabbed into her arms. “Stupid chains,” She hissed quietly as she glared at the clear tubes. Slowly, the glare receded and was replaced by a lopsided grin. With the deftest movements she began to sketch. Basic circles were connected with swooping lines before she made a new layer, and started the process of making art. She added details and anatomy until she sat back and admired her latest and greatest.

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

On the screen was her fursona* breaking free from bondage. It was fleeing the scene with many sorts of wicked looking things chasing after it. Her lips were still curled in that lopsided grin before it began to fade, and then disappeared entirely. She sighed and rubbed at her heavy feeling eyes. If only she could break free from her prison, but there was simply no way for her to do so. _Bringing the table over has already made me want to go to sleep,_ She thought irritably, feeling her brow draw into a dreadful scowl. Before she could wander down dark thoughts, a pair of footsteps caught her attention, and she tore her eyes away from the laptop.

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

“And how are we doing today…” A portly man asked while pulling up her charts, “Miss Elizabeth?” He was dressed in the usual attire for a doctor: a long white coat, name tag, pens in the pocket, and scrubs.

“Fine as I can be.”

“Good, good! We will continue your current treatment, and I shall stop by tomorrow to see how you are progressing. Now remember to order lunch before two-“

“I can’t eat solid foods, sir,” Elizabeth said, forcing herself to say it above a whisper.

“Ah. Well... Forget what I was about to say then. I’m sure one of the nurses will change your bags for you shortly, and uh... just remember to push the red button should you require anything. Yeah? Okay, well, I shall see you tomorrow!” He turned to leave after putting her charts back in their place at the foot of her bed.

“Sir, may I ask where Doctor Fergus has gone?” She asked, as this was not her normal doctor, and she preferred the former. He had been here since her admittance, and knew not to ask ridiculous questions. Of course she wasn’t improving. How could she, when there was nothing medically wrong with her? She was just… fading, was the best way to put it. Wasting away…

“He was called away, and won’t be back for a few weeks. I will be checking on you during his time gone, but worry not! He will return, I can promise you that.” The man beamed at her and then waddled out of her room back into the hall.

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

She was just about to let out a frustrated scream when the doctor came back, startling her out of her thoughts before they could even start. “I am sorry Miss Elizabeth, but I have forgotten something.” He cleared his throat. “We will be adding something to your current treatment. It is… not quite accepted yet, but from your records-“

“What do you mean not quite accepted yet?” She interrupted, feeling somewhat panicked, “Is it an experimental drug or something? And what do you mean “from your records”?” Elizabeth growled. 

“Yes, Miss Elizabeth, it is an experimental drug… and what I mean by that is, well…” He sighed and ran a heavy hand through his mop of white hair. “I will be frank. You’re dying, and your family has given us permission to save you by any means necessary.” He looked at her with a seriousness she had not even thought he would be capable of given their brief introduction just moments before. “This means if we have to we can remove your limbs to prolong your life… I, and Doctor Fergus, do not feel this is necessary even though your family is pushing for this to happen. That is why he left, to argue with the medical boards about your case.” 

She knew she must look ridiculous with her eyes as wide as they were, but she couldn’t help it. She was terrified of the idea. Her hand (when had it started to shake?) rose in horror to cover her slacked jaw. Dear God… She would rather die than go through such operations, and at the same time she felt hate burn in her belly. How dare they! How dare they assume she would rather be a lump of flesh than… than…?

“I knew,” The doctor soothed, “That this would upset you, but you are old enough to make your own decisions, at least in my mind.” Funny he would say this considering she was only a teenager, and for the longest time everyone said she wasn’t old enough to make adult decisions. “Now this experimental drug I was talking about. It should help to lessen the pain, as I have been told you are immune to morphine’s affects and the other pain killers we have currently available.” He had already pulled out a needle and lightly pumped it to make sure no air bubbles were in the syringe. The man waited, watching her with an intense stare.

She licked her lips, and nodded her head. His gaze softened as he stopped the IV and removed it from her arm. He said something apologetic as he ran the flush through the connecting tube in her arm, but she wasn’t really paying attention; mind running like a rabbit with dark contemplations. A moment later the needle injected her with the new drug, the IV was reattached, and he patted her hand in a consoling manner. Only then did she look up to find him gone, and sighed.

_Beep… Beep… Beep..._

Elizabeth laid back. She rubbed at her eyes again, feeling somewhat drowsy. This wasn’t unusual given her current condition, and she assumed it to be one of the side effects. She closed her eyes. The doctor was right. The pain was going away, and a delicious numbing sensation was beginning to creep over her body starting with her toes. She smiled softly.

_Beep… Beep…… Beep……_

_Beep…… Beep…… Beep……_

_Beep…… Beeeeeeeee-_

She didn’t hear the rush of feet or the clatter of her table being pushed away. She didn’t see Doctor Fergus rush in and ask in alarm what was going on. She didn’t feel any of their ministrations upon her body.

She did dream though.

She dreamt of a raven carrying paper. It dropped the parcel in her held out hand (when had she done that?), and she unwrapped it. Even in the dark she could read them clear as day. It was an invitation. She was being invited for a new beginning, where she wouldn’t taste sorrow as often as she did now, nor would she sup as often at pain’s table. Elizabeth couldn’t help but look back, into the building darkness. Then the raven cawed, and she looked forward.

Light! Light meant the sun, and the sun meant warmth. Warmth was all that mattered in this sterile, lifeless place. With a determined look on her face she clenched the papers in her now formed fists, and began to run. At first her feet felt like lead, and then her strength began to return to her. It was like sipping from a stream, and then she was gulping it down. She ran faster than she ever did before in her entire life, and peals of laughter flitted from her lips. It grew brighter and brighter until finally-

She woke up.


	2. A New Shell

 

 

She didn’t open her eyes immediately. She laid boneless, limbs akimbo, and basked in the sun’s warmth. Her arms outstretched while she flexed her fingers, feeling very much like an old fat cat or maybe the ancient dog usually depicted on the front porch. No matter. This was the only comfort she would have today at this accursed hospital, and by God she was going to enjoy it. A languid smile stretched across her lips as she lightly shook her head, nuzzling into the new pillow they had given her (obviously sometime last night as she did not recall waking up before now). She breathed deep, and took pause.

Instead of cleaning solution and hand sanitizer, grass and earth met her flared nostrils.

…Was that the sound of a river coming from somewhere behind her?

Her eyes snapped open as she lifted her head. The sudden wash of light temporarily blinded her, making her vision white as she blinked rapidly before it began to fade into a blur of colors.

When her sight finally focused she couldn’t stop the gasp from escaping her.

A picture from a story book greeted her. Grass was everywhere, and it wasn’t the perfect Kentucky Blue either. It was real grass mingling with weeds that strangled their neighbors while flowers perched in small clusters, seeming to preen in the sun like vain little birds. Trees of different sizes and shape dotted the landscape; solitary figures in the distance. Plump and sorry looking bushes seemed to gather close to the trees. They reminded her of babies clutching their mother’s skirts.

“I don’t think I’m in Kansas anymore,” Elizabeth murmured as she greedily drank in all that was around her. It was too good to be true, but even if she was still asleep she wouldn’t dare pinch herself. She was afraid if she did summon the courage to cause the slight pain she would wake up, and miss whatever else this wonderful place had to offer. She shook her head at her silliness, and moved to stand up. 

At that moment her legs decided they did not want to cooperate, and they gave way beneath her weight. She fell with a light ‘oof!’ and a very loud thud. The poor patch of dandelions didn’t stand a chance, and they exploded in a cloud of fluff around her body. The seeds danced in the air, floating loftily where ever they pleased. She found herself smiling, and without thought lifted her hands to swat at the dancing pods when she froze. Her heart leapt to her throat as an icy chill pooled in her belly.

She stayed frozen like that for what seemed to be an eternity.

Then she remembered to breathe, and flexed her fingers. Elizabeth watched the muscles stretch and relax under her ministrations. She opened and closed her fists numerous times before finally holding her hands before her eyes, extremities fully stretched.

The hands in front of her eyes did not belong to her. Hers were more similar to spiders: frightfully skinny. These were very large and looked rather strong. Her hands had been equipped with nibbled and frayed nails, but these sported wicked looking cream colored claws.

She recognized these limbs, but could scarcely believe her eyes. She had seen them numerous times, as she remembered practicing them for hours. She reminisced searching on the internet for decent tutorials on how to draw them properly. She could almost feel the dull ache of her right from days spent sketching those hands on different positions, angles, and holds. Elizabeth brought her left hand’s fingers to run down her right’s palm; feeling the fine, hard scales that lined them.

These hands belonged to her fursona; her online representation.

She suddenly brought them to her face and gripped at the flesh. Instead of soft sallow skin and brittle bone she felt more scales, a firm structure, and she knew. A rush of excitement raced through her as a hysterical laugh bubbled from her throat. “I’m dreaming,” She chortled giddily, “I’m dreaming!” She pinched her forearm with glee, and tried not to panic when nothing happened aside from a flare of pain. Her eyes widened by a fraction they screwed shut as she threw her head back and dissolved into frenzied laughter. As quick as it had started, however, it soon ended. She was still racked by the occasional fit, but otherwise she had forced herself to calm down.

“Okay,” Elizabeth said as she slowly stood up, taking account of the fact she now had four legs instead of just two, “You’re okay. Heck you’re better than okay! You’re what you’ve always imagined yourself to be, and-“ All of a sudden something flared out in front of her, startling her from her rambling. She stared at it as if it was a second head, and watched as it moved. How was-

“I’m doing this,” She whispered, almost stupidly, as she watched the powerful appendage move back and forth. It looked like a bat’s wing, but there were feathers branching from the shoulder and covered the top half. The silver underside had some feathers, but otherwise it was bare.

Biting her lower lip she couldn’t help but whip her head back and admire the pair of powerful wings branching out from her back. Yes, yes! They were exactly as she had imagined in her head; huge, with the membrane reaching the beginning of her tail just behind her haunches. Oh surely she could fly, right? Elizabeth felt tempted, but the thought was immediately pushed down when she went to walk just a few steps. Her legs got tangled up in each other, and she fell down with a squawk. She rolled onto her stomach and glared at the offending appendages.

“Well you’re no help,” She grumbled to herself as she stood up once again.

Once,

“Oof!”

Twice,

“Agh!”

Thrice!

“Bugger it all!” Elizabeth snarled as she once again toppled over. How on earth had she managed to learn how to do this when she was just a baby, and how was she going to do it now? As a dragon no less! She growled in the back of her throat, but with a determined look on her face she continued to try.

It took roughly six more attempts before she could at least manage walking, and by then the sky was turning pink and orange again.

At least now she could walk without stumbling like a new born colt. She felt more confident with her steps as she meandered toward the river she had heard that morning. What she had assumed to be a gentle, slow moving body of water turned out to be quite the opposite. It was a roaring, churning and splashing rapid part of the river. The water was moving so quickly it was white, making it impossible to see her reflection (much to her chagrin). She carefully climbed down the rocky embankment to stand near the edge and watch the raging river.

“Pity it’s going so fast,” Elizabeth said wistfully, “Otherwise I’d go for a wade.” No way could she swim now, not with this new body being so damn difficult. She moved to lie down, as the heat radiating from the rocks was positively sinful, when frightened screams and splashes reached her ears. She shot up from her half crouched position and whipped her head to look upstream. She saw an overturned boat spinning toward her direction, and were those hands disappearing beneath the surface?

“Help!” Elizabeth yelled, “We need help over- Oh bugger it’s only you here stupid!”

She didn’t have any choice. She jumped into the rampant river with a rather undignified shriek, and found herself swept away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun duuuuun! I know this chapter is kind of short, but my chapters have never had the same length before. Just a heads up this fic will now continue in Middle Earth, and we'll start getting to see everyone's favorite characters. Just remember this fanfic is very AU (basically I kind of said screw LotR).


	3. The Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my anon kudos-er! 8D You made me squeal in happiness. 83  
> EDIT: I added the illustration! Never doing water again. Ugh. Also I'll be experimenting probably with each picture so don't be surprised if they're all wibbly wobbly.

 

 

The river didn’t care that she was six feet tall at her shoulders now. As far as it was concerned she was its new favorite toy, and it treated her as such. She was bashed into as many rocks as possible, and even with her hard scales she felt the wind escape her in a flurry of bubbles. She was suddenly thrown upward and had enough time to suck in a mouthful of air before she was pulled under again. The rapid moving water carried her as easily as she might have done with a piece of paper.

If she wasn’t under the threat of drowning she might have felt humbled by its sheer power. At the moment, however, all she was trying to do was find the people who had fallen in and stay alive.

She kicked out with her legs as hard as she could before she finally breeched the water. Elizabeth looked around as quickly, turning her head this way and that. Was that-? There! Over to her left was a pair of tiny arms and flailing hands. Elizabeth swam as swift as possible, pressing her fingers together to make her hands form cup-like shapes to help propel her forward. She gritted her teeth as she was buffeted about. She had no choice but to dive down, as not only the current hauled her down but the other person as well. The dragon reached out, and when she felt the softness of fabric she grabbed the passing body.

Elizabeth flared out her wings, and was suddenly thrown even faster into the current’s wrath. She drew her lips back in a grimace, and then with one mighty pump of her wings she went topside. She made sure to keep the person’s head above the water as she attempted getting back to shore. This proved more than difficult, as she was past the point of beginning to tire. Not only that but she had to keep the victim safe as she was continually assaulted by rocks which earned cries of pain from Elizabeth. She growled, hating the feeling of her strength being sapped away as it reminded her only too well of her previous situation.

Then, a miracle on the horizon! It was a large tree that had fallen partway into the river, and she was headed straight for it. She turned herself around, and swallowed down the bark of pain as her back hit the trunk. Elizabeth continued to kick out with her hind legs, and even used her tail as a bit of a rudder to keep herself from being swept away again. Gripping a little more strongly on the boy, as she had just now noticed his features, she shifted to the side until her shoulder was forced against the trunk. Then she began to slow process of moving toward the shore, her free hand digging into the fallen oak.

Only when her feet could touch the bottom without worry of being taken out from beneath her did she let out a loud sigh of relief.

Elizabeth cradled her charge against her chest as she walked past the rocks. She lowered him onto some soft, dry sand, and turned back to look at the river. With how long it had taken her to save the meager child, it was doubtful the other two had survived. Her ears pinned back at the thought. “Damn it!” She snarled as she punched the ground, leaving a deep indentation in the sand. If only she were stronger! She could have swooped down and saved them before the boat pitched over. Speaking of which…

Why had the boat overturned? From what she had seen at the time, which hadn’t been much really, it had appeared to be water worthy.

She worried her bottom lip as she watched the river, and then her eyes widened. “Oh shit!” She turned to her ward and immediately hunkered down beside him. She extended her neck and pressed her ear to his chest, closing her eyes as she listened. _Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump!_ Good. He wasn’t dead. Why was he- Oh. That could explain why he wasn’t awake and sputtering. Blood trickled from his temple, and from the way the skin was bruising she could only assume he’d hit a rock. Elizabeth took a moment to further examine the person she’d saved.

She wasn’t very good with ages, but she’d have to guess he was around ten. Maybe twelve? Either way he was a very young lad, and she hoped he’d forgive her for not being able to rescue his friends from the river’s grip. His dark brown hair was plastered to his skin, and what was up with his ears? They were kind of large, and pointed! She tilted her head, examining them curiously before letting her eyes wander down. He wore a vest and a shirt that were trimmed quite fine. His shorts ended somewhere a little bit above his knees, which were also bruised, and there were some cuts and scrapes on his calves. It didn’t appear to be anything too serious, and she was thankful that she would not have to worry or fret about something like resetting bones. She blinked in surprise at the size of his feet. They looked ridiculous! They looked a size too big, and was that dirt on top of them? She tried to wipe it away, but let out a curious sound when she felt it. It wasn’t debris. It was fur, or very thick hair, that covered his feet and traveled up toward his knees, but they thinned around his shins.

“Weird,” Elizabeth chortled as she shook her head, grinning, and settled onto her haunches.

“…Now what do I do?” She asked herself as she looked toward the sky. It was getting darker, and while this place was lovely in the daytime she wasn’t so sure about night. She knew back at home there were coyotes to worry about, and this lush land would be paradise for them. She rose to her feet, suddenly wary of the danger darkness brought, and went back to the boy. She gently scooped him up and tucked him against her chest, making the awkward walk toward the half of the tree that had not fallen in the water. She laid him down beside it. At least this way he wouldn’t be completely out in the open while she did a few things. Elizabeth cast one last look at the strange little boy, and then turned on her heel to find some kindling.

 

_Whoosh! Whoosh!_

Frodo awoke with a start and shot up like a weed, but promptly laid back down at his skull’s pounding. He screwed his eyes shut and covered them with his hands, hissing with pain. He ached all over, and his legs were stinging a bit. He felt like the whole Shire had stomped all over him in one of their festival dances. He groaned and sat up, this time a bit slower, and uncovered his eyes.

Where was- “Mom! Dad!” He whispered to himself and immediately looked around.

Everything was rushing back. His mother’s insistence to go on a small adventure down the Brandywine River, his father’s humorous muttering about how her “Tookishness” was showing through, and his excitement for just being out and about. Things had been going well when her parents had started whispering excitedly to one another, and then he’d tried to get their attention and wham! Into the water they had gone, down into the depths into a course of the river they had intended to avoid by making their way to shore…

And now where was he? Where were his parents? Who had saved him?

_Whoosh! Whooooosh!_

And what was that noise!? The small hobbit turned his head away from the river. It was dark and his eyes hadn’t adjusted quite yet so he had-

Flames whisked their way into existence, blinding the young hobbit. Once again he covered his eyes, stinging now to the sudden brightness, before he peeked through his fingers. Not but a foot away from him was a fire pit. The pile of wood was quite large, and it was surrounded by rocks like any sensible creature would do. He watched the flames and opened his mouth to speak when his eyes caught something. They caught sight of a large pair of blue scaled hands. Those were attached to strong looking forelegs which connected to a broad chest and a long sinuous neck.

At last but not least there was the owner’s face, and the hobbit froze. Its mouth tapered into a beak-like shape, but there was no hardness like a bird’s. Fangs protruded from its upper lip, glinting in the firelight. Bright orange eyes watched him curiously from beneath a heavy brow. Small horns curled upward from behind its pointed ears, and curled forward over its forehead. The beast shifted on its feet, looking as if it had been caught stealing from Gaffer Gamgee’s cookie jar. It opened its mouth, revealing a purple tongue and dark gums, teeth shining as it made some rather fierce sounds.

All Frodo could do was stare, blue eyes as wide as saucers, before everything began to go dark as he proceeded to faint. The last thing he saw were the creature’s eyes widening comically as a clawed hand reached out to catch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty! This chapter was rather fun to write, and I hope you enjoyed reading it! Also I swear I'll actually start writing longer chapters at one point, so I hope I haven't annoyed anyone with my shortness.


	4. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the hobbit discovers that not all dragons should be judged by their scales, and the dragon finds out about her new charge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty so this chapter is one of my longer ones, and I'm terrible as I don't have an illustration for this one either. I'll do my best to get those up for you guys for your viewing pleasure, and I'm still working on Elizabeth's reference picture. Sorry for not having those done. Anyways I thank everybody for their kudos and comments and views! You guys make me happy. :3
> 
> Words with asterisks (*) will have an explanation in the bottom notes.  
> Italicized sentences are words written in sand.

Elizabeth woke first.

The sun was high enough that morning dew was long gone. The river continued to roar and there were birds singing in the trees. Small woodland creatures scurried about in the underbrush, and there were signs they had been investigated in the night. Tiny paw prints were left in the sand; some going toward the river, others seeming to surround her in a vast squiggly circle. She shook her head with an amused snort, and then turned her head to look at her still unconscious ward. Whatever pleasure she had felt drained from her.

She hadn’t even thought that she would have frightened him. Considering she was in this form she had assumed for it to be a natural thing of this world, but perhaps it wasn’t… or maybe it was and she was viewed as a sort of Grim*? Maybe he thought she would eat him? The idea was laughable at best to her, but for him… Oh he’d probably need psychiatric help now because of her, and did they even have such things here? From the way he dressed it was to be assumed-

No. The dragon furrowed her brow. Now wasn’t the time for such thoughts, not when the boy could awaken at any moment and undoubtedly have several questions for her.

She rose to her feet, but not before languidly stretching and wiggling all of her digits. She even spread out her wings, for they were a bit stiff from having been folded for so long. The dragon looked back to the river, and went to its side in hopes of spotting some humanoid footprints trailing from the rocks. Alas there were none. Her ears pinned back and she sighed, sure now of their fate. They had drowned, and all that was left was the boy by the dead fire.

She felt crestfallen, but squashed the feeling before it could bloom into something worse. She had someone to take care of, for now, and she would do her best to keep him well. First things first: she had to scrounge up some breakfast!

Elizabeth was certain there weren’t any fish in this part of the river, and even if there were how would she catch them? She had no tools and she definitely didn’t know how to catch them by hand, so that was out of the question. There would probably be bird nests around, but she wasn’t comfortable with the idea of eating them unless they came from a chicken. Call her a hypocrite, but eating song birds felt wrong. So she would have to resort to finding some sort of fruit or nut.

Her ears drooped. How was she- Oh! Oh what was that smell? She lifted her head, nostrils flaring as she inhaled deeply. Apples! Apples were nearby, and they smelled positively scrumptious. She hadn’t had the pleasure of working her jaws on solid foods in so _long_! Licking her lips with an obnoxious slurping sound, the dragon practically pranced away as she followed her nose, tail twitching excitedly.

 

* * *

 

Frodo awoke to a delicious smell. He sat up with a soft groan, rubbing at his eyes, and turned his head to look at what was going on. The peculiar sight that greeted him was sure to stay with him for a very long time. The dragon (no he hadn’t hallucinated it was real) was holding a broken branch in one of its large paw-like hands. Apples were skewered on it, and the creature was turning them evenly over the fire. He blinked slowly, and temporarily forgot he was supposed to be afraid due to the domestic sight.

He rubbed at his eyes and looked again.

Nope. The dragon was still there, roasting apples, but now it was looking at him.

He felt even smaller than he had before, and unconsciously scooted back away from the large beast. He covered his eyes when the dragon moved its free hand. Crack! Oh no it had broken his leg. It cracked it open and it was going to suck out his marrow and eat him and- hang on. He wasn’t in any pain. Frodo peeked between his fingers, and saw the dragon was holding out one of the smaller tines of the tree branch. On said tine was a roasted apple. He found his breath caught in the back of his throat as he slowly took the proffered food, and watched warily even as the dragon seemed to nod its approval.

He gently blew air on the fruit, observing the dragon as it took one of the roasted apples into its hand while he bit into his own. It tossed the fruit in its mouth even as Frodo opened his to give warning, but it was too late. The beast let out a choked yelping sound as it spat the mashed fruit onto its palm. It wiped at its mouth, growling with displeasure. He couldn’t help but let out a little laugh, but hid his mirth instantly when the dragon seemed to scowl at him. Wisened, the dragon went back to eating albiet a bit more carefully than before. A thought suddenly occurred to him as he looked down at his own breakfast.

“Why aren’t you trying to eat me?”

The dragon blinked at him and tilted its head, seeming confused by his question.

“Well… you’re a dragon! And dragons eat people. Aren’t you supposed to… you know, eat me?” He asked meekly.

Another blink, and then the dragon pulled back its lips to show off its sharp teeth. He expected for it to swoop down and gobble him up, but instead it began to make a series of chuffing noises. It took a moment for him to figure out that the dragon was _laughing_ at him. His brows furrowed into a pout as the dragon reared back, forelegs drawn to its chest as it rolled about in its amusement. He waited until it was finished, watching as it wiped at its eyes to flick away imaginary tears. He pursed his lips and said, “Oh fine! Make fun of me why don’t you.”

The dragon made some more noises, and reached out to pat his head in what he assumed was a consoling manner, but it was rather jarring instead. He batted its hand away, but was now reassured that he didn't have to worry about being the beast's lunch. Another thought occured to him.

“Have you seen my parents?” He asked, looking up at the dragon hopefully, but that feeling was crushed at the beast’s sudden drop in demeanor. Its ears drooped and its eyes closed as it slowly shook its head from side to side. Then its eyes snapped open, and it grabbed him by his shoulders, earning a frightened squeak from him. Its jaws moved swiftly as it began to growl and make loud sounds, one hand moving and gesturing before it sat back on its haunches. Both hands were flailing and making movements and suddenly Frodo understood.

The dragon was speaking to him, but maybe because he wasn’t a dragon he couldn’t understand. It was like when his mother would curse in Sindarian so he wouldn’t know of foul language (Even though he knew quite a bit thanks to some of his cousins).

The hobbit held up his hands in the universal language for stop. The dragon did, seeming sheepish as it wrung its hands; more hobbitish really. “I don’t understand you,” He said, “Whatever you’re saying it just sounds,” He bit his lip again as he finished quietly, “Really scary!”

The dragon blinked once, twice, and then three times more. It seemed shocked, a hand going up to its muzzle as if trying to find its voice. Then it shook its head, and looked down at the sand they sat upon. Its eyes brightened, glittering with an idea as it smoothed the sand with its palms. It did this until there was a large completely flat area. He watched curiously as it extended one digit, and with its claw wrote in the sand: _I’m sorry I did not find your parents. I only had enough strength to catch you, and by the time we got to shore I’m afraid they were swept far away from us._

“You can write!” Frodo said excitedly while clapping without thought. Then he read the message, and his elation fell swiftly. So what he had thought was true. He pushed the sadness away as best as he could, and looked up at the sorrowful gaze that met his. He looked more closely at its face, and saw that the beast appeared very guilty about the boy’s situation. While yes he was still a little scared of the large creature, it wasn’t the kind of fright that made him want to run away. Rather, it was the kind that he’d felt around large farm dogs and ponies; more so a wariness of the creature’s vast amount of strength and size.

“Well you did all that you could, right?” He found himself asking, voice shaking. The dragon nodded its head swiftly, and clapped him on the shoulder in an attempt at comfort. Instead, it bowled him over, and he sat up sputtering as he wiped sand from his face. The dragon let out a few more chuffs as it chortled at him, although it was decent enough to look abashed. Once he was certain that he had gotten rid of most of the sand he looked at the dragon again.

“Who are you?”

The dragon arched its brows at him. _I thought kids were raised to introduce themselves first._

“Oh! I’m so sorry. My name is Frodo Baggins!” He did a little bow, which was rather comical looking considering he was sitting. It earned more chuffs, and then the dragon smoothed the sand again.

_My name is Elizabeth._

“What kind of name is that for a dragon?” Frodo asked before he covered his mouth with his hands, eyes wide in horror. Oh that was so terribly rude! His ears were about to be boxed for sure, but the dragon merely rolled its- her, eyes at him.

_It’s the kind of name my mother gave me, so it’s the one I will continue to call myself._

“Dragons have mothers?” The hobbit questioned, before sputtering, “T-that is to say I-I’ve never heard of dragon mothers before!” He flailed his hands a bit.

The sand was smoothed once more before Elizabeth wrote, _I do not know about other dragons, but my mother raised me since I was born._

“Is your mother here then, with you?”

_No._

“Oh I’m sorry! When did she die?”

A snort, and then: _She didn’t die. She is simply not here with me as of right now._

“Oh! Oh, well, that was rather silly of me to say, wasn’t it?” Frodo asked sheepishly as the dragon nodded, flashing her teeth in what he assumed was a grin. It was kind of unsettling. “So you’re a kid like me, right? Or are you in your tweens? Oh! Are you full gr-“A large scaled finger was pressed against his lips as she looked down at him, amusement shining in her eyes. She brushed the sand back again, and wrote: _I’m not as young as you. I’m sixteen years old, so no I am not in my tweens nor am I full grown. However because I am older I ask for a bit of respect from you, okay? It wouldn’t do for you to go home and be unruly now would it?_

The hobbit nodded his head, but before he could ask another question she held up her free hand once more to silence him. _Now I have some questions for you. What are you, exactly? You’re not a human are you?_ Elizabeth tilted her head as she looked at him, and perked her ears when the boy puffed up his chest. “Of course I’m not human! I’m a hobbit!” He said, apparently quite vexed that he had been confused for the other race. She cocked her head.

_What’s a hobbit?_

“Well, me! I’m a hobbit. We’re called Little Folk by other people, and look!” He stretched out his legs and showed off his large feet, wiggling his toes. “We have very large feet and thick pads, so we don’t need shoes! And this!” He motioned to the thick hair on the top of his feet, appearing quite proud of the fluff, “Well it keeps them warm even in the coldest winter!” He was practically preening, which earned some laughter from the dragon. She shook her head at him, and suddenly blinked, seeming to sober up from her humor as a serious look came across her visage. She hurriedly swiped at the sand.

_Where do you live, Frodo? I need to take you home as I can’t take care of you properly._

“Oh,” He breathed, “Well we live in our hobbit hole.” At the dragon’s concerned look he continued, “It’s not like a rabbit hole! It’s… well, it’s homely, and quite nice!” She shook her head at him, giving him another apple which he promptly munched on as she wrote: _Do you know how to get there from here?_ The hobbit shook his head in response, which earned a heavy sigh from the dragon as she rose to her feet. _Well we’ll follow the river. I’ve read in books there are always towns by rivers in places like this. Come with me then._

“You can read too?” He was impressed. He’d always been told that dragons were big dumb brutes, but Elizabeth was very kind and smart! Maybe she was just a fluke. It would explain why she wasn’t as big as a mountain. “I have another question for you, if you don’t mind, before we go.” The sapphire colored beast stopped the few steps she had been about to take, and looked at him with her head tilted once more. “Why aren’t you… well, as big as a barn?” She chuffed at him.

_Remember I’m only sixteen years old. I’m nowhere near fully grown._

“O-oh right, yes,” Frodo flushed, feeling quite foolish. He ignored her humorous look and grin, bending down to pick up some of the uncooked apples. He shoved them in his pockets, and took to walking beside the far larger creature. She briefly flared out her wings, startling him (There were feathers on the underside! How strange!), before folding them along her sides. Frodo, while still walking beside her, took a moment to study her form and admire it as they went.

Elizabeth was a rich blue. Under the shadows from the trees she looked even darker, almost black, but when the sun hit her scales she gleamed like a gemstone. Her underside scales, however, appeared silver but sometimes they were almost white in the sunlight. Her head was not overly large, but she had broad jaws. Her upper lip ended in a beak-like shape, and fangs protruded from it. Her eyes were hooded by a large brow, and she had small pits along her muzzle like a snake did. Her ears reminded him of a deer with the way they could swivel in almost any direction, but they were pointed at the top like an elf. A pair of horns curled out from behind her ears on the back of her skull, and rested above her eyes. They pointed forward, but the tips swirled to face the sky. They weren’t that impressive, really, but he was sure if she head butted something it would hurt the other quite a bit.

There was a crest of scales that started from between her eyes and ended near the start of her neck and he knew it was a crest because she’d been startled by a rabbit (which he had to try really hard not to laugh at, but he didn’t succeed very well). The scales had flared up; much like a dog’s back would bristle when it was afraid or angry. She had a deep chest and her forearms were covered with larger scales. Her hands were scaly too. Her haunches were large and powerful looking, and she had four toes on each hind foot. Her tail was long enough, and tapered into a smallish spade. He noticed that the crest was a darker shade of blue as well as her back and the top of her wing membrane.

Overall she was a very pretty dragon as far as he was concerned.

When he caught her looking down at him with a tickled expression he blushed, and without thought punched her shoulder. He let out a small cry of pain, hand smarting as he rubbed it while Elizabeth laughed at him again. “Oh hush you great big, terrible thing!” He laughed, grimacing as he waved his hand in the air as if that would help. She paused beside him to ruffle his dark brown hair, earning an exasperated “Hey!” from the hobbit.

 

* * *

 

They walked for what seemed to be hours, and he’d eaten the apples from his pockets sometime sooner. His feet were fine, but his legs were sore and he was tired all over. Elizabeth seemed to notice this, but she looked at the sky. It was still bright. She suddenly crouched beside him and pulled him closer. At her motioning his eyes went as wide as saucers, but they sparkled with glee as he laughed and clambered up her broad body. He settled himself on her shoulders, feet coming to rest on either side of her sinuous neck. “Thank you very much, Miss Elizabeth!” Frodo chirped.

The dragon thrummed in response, which he could only take as positive note.

They continued on sometime into the night. By this point he was feeling quite sore, and he was holding onto her a bit tightly. He’d been outside at night before, but in Buckland where there was always a light going outside someone’s smial. It was pitch black alongside the river, which was no longer roaring but gurgling quite contentedly alongside them. He couldn’t help but let out a shrill noise when she suddenly crouched down again, and he realized they were done traveling for today. He slid off of her and fell flat on his bum. “Ouch!”

Elizabeth gave him a pitying look before she motioned for him to stay where he was, which he did. No sensible creature would be out this late anyways. He drew his legs to his chest with a light hiss, and waited for her to return. By the time she did he was almost asleep, and jumped to his feet when he heard her approach. She had several branches held in the crook of one foreleg, walking somewhat awkwardly toward him as she balanced on her other three legs. He tutted at her as he said, “I could have helped you!”

The dragon rolled her shoulders in a shrug, and cleared a small area of any debris. She made two piles with the branches, and threw some smaller sticks in with the main pile. Frodo watched, about to crouch down, but he was pushed back by a large hand. He gave the dragon a confused look before his eyes widened as she took a deep breath. Oh! He scrambled back a bit more, taking refuge behind one of her forelegs. She let out the heavy breath, and when nothing happened he looked up at her. She was glaring at the pile of sticks, and took in another deep breath.

**_Whoosh! Whoosh!_ **

So that had been what he’d been hearing the previous night! Before he could think on it any longer flames shot out from her parted jaws in a steady stream and struck against the woodpile. He was temporarily blinded, but when he opened his eyes again there was a merry fire crackling before them. He beamed at Elizabeth, and she gave him a small smile of her own. “Um, I don’t mean to be rude or bothersome, but what’s for dinner?” She blinked down at him as if she had realized she was hungry as well. A sheepish look came across her face. The dragon cleared the sand closet to the fire.

_I don’t know. We don’t have anything._

“Well can’t you hunt something?”

An even more embarrassed expression crossed her visage.

_I’ve never hunted before._

“What do you mean? You’re a dragon!” He explained as he looked at her in shock.

_My mother provided everything for me before. I’ve never had the need to hunt. I’m sorry._

“No, no! There’s no need to apologize. I should be the one apologizing for assuming everything and all. My mother,” He swallowed down the pain that blossomed inside of him, “Would have scolded me for being like that.” He rubbed his hands as he sat down. “But… I’m hungry.” Frodo looked up at her. She looked down at him with determination before she glared at her hands and wrote: _I will do my best for the both of us, but I can’t promise anything. I’ve never done anything like this before._

He went to stop her, raising a hand as his mouth opened but she was already on her feet and slinking off into the dark. His hand fell to his side as he frowned. He hoped he hadn’t offended her somehow, and he felt rather bad for having brought up his needs, but… this was the longest he had gone without food in his entire life! He’d only had first breakfast today, and she hadn’t offered seconds! Or thirds! Or even elevensies! ‘Maybe,’ He thought in horror, ‘She doesn’t even eat like we do!’ Was she like a man and only ate three times a day? What a horrible notion, only eating three times a day and not even snacking!

Frodo shuddered and hugged himself as he sat down in front of the fire.

He wasn’t sure how long he had sat there, staring at the flames trapped in his own thoughts when a loud noise startled him. He shot to his feet and grabbed one of the branches like a club. He let out a shrill scream of terror, falling back onto his bum when Elizabeth suddenly shot through the undergrowth and skidded to a halt in front of him. She was chuffing at him, but it was muffled because there were rabbits in her jaws! There were three! “Wonderful,” He laughed as he sat up and dusted himself off. Only, he found himself somewhat puzzled.

“…Have you ever prepared coneys before?”

Elizabeth fell to her haunches with a groan as she hung her head. No, she had not, and it was obvious with her hangdog countenance.

Frodo laughed at her this time, and it felt good to do so with how often she had done to him today. “No, no, it’s alright! I know how to, but I don’t have a knife. So I’ll help you do it, okay?” He flashed a brilliant smile as she snorted while nodding her head. After a while (He would have to tell someone about her displeasured squawk when she had to skin and gut the rabbits because that had been hilarious!) the rabbits were skewered on some branches and were cooking over the fire. When they were done he took his, blew on it, and ate ravenously.

Elizabeth stared at him.

He was sure his ears were as red as his mother’s favorite tomatoes as he said, “Sorry. Um… hobbits eat seven full meals a day, as well as snacks, and we only ate one breakfast…” He trailed off and squirmed a bit uncomfortably from the weight of her stare. He blinked at the now familiar sound of her scribbling in the sand, and looked down to read what she had written.

_I’m so sorry! I had no idea! You should have said something or I would have grabbed something for you sooner!_

Elizabeth scowled at him, and added a little more.

_I’m not a mind reader. I won’t know when you are hungry, so next time you speak up._

She gave him a somewhat hard poke and he nodded swiftly. “I’m sorry!” He yelped, rubbing at where she had poked him. That had hurt, but he understood. Then she ruffled his hair again and he swatted at her hand, and they were fine again. He smiled at her, and she didn’t eat until he was somewhat full. Unfortunately that meant there was only half of one of the coneys left, but she didn’t allow him to apologize. She scarfed down what he had left, bones and all, and left him staring this time.

Elizabeth smirked at him, and then wrote: _Go to sleep now. I don’t know how long it will be until we get to some sort of settlement, and we’ll need all the rest we can get._

Frodo lay down next to the fire, but not too close, and closed his eyes. For the next ten minutes, however, he tossed and turned as he tried to get comfortable. There was no way he could sleep. There was too much noise, and he missed his parents. They had drowned and now he was traveling with a very nice dragon, but… he’d never be tucked in again, or hear his mother’s merry singing as she weeded the garden, and- oh bother. Tears were streaming down his face, and he tried to swallow his crying.

It didn’t help, or work, and soon he was sobbing into his fists. He attempted at being quiet about it, but when Elizabeth lay down beside him and curled around him he didn’t even bother. He pressed his face into her bright scales and bawled. The dragon thrummed and crooned in a way that followed a pattern, and he could only assume it was her way of singing. He wasn’t sure how long he had cried, but soon his eyes were just closed and he couldn't breathe through his nose.

Elizabeth hummed and gently petted his hair. She did this until he had fallen asleep, breathing soft and even. She let out a deep sigh of her own, and looked toward the sky. ‘Poor kid,’ She thought as she looked down at the little hobbit. She shifted to get a little more comfortable and then lowered her head to rest it on the sand. She closed her eyes, and followed the boy into slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Grim: a foreboding spiritual creature; something not viewed kindly on


	5. A Bear and a Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the young hobbit learns something and strikes an accord.

“ _So_ ,” Frodo dragged on, looking up at the dragon that looked down at him with an arched brow, “How _did_ you catch those coneys? I mean, you said you’ve never hunted before and three coneys? Hard to believe someone has that much luck on their first try.” His lips pulled into a too sweet smile, and he laughed when Elizabeth ruffled his hair and rumbled. It was almost like she was calling him a scamp, something his father used to say, and maybe she was. He tried to smooth down his hair as he watched her digits write words in the sand.

_You’re right, I didn’t catch them. I took them._

The hobbit looked up at her sharply. “You mean you stole them.” His arms unconsciously crossed on his chest as he narrowed his gaze. She snorted at him and rolled her eyes, clearing away the sentence with one swipe of her hands.

_No, I did not steal them. I stumbled upon a bear and spooked it. It dropped the rabbits, and I took them._

Oh. Well that made much more sense. Even though it was obvious Elizabeth was strong it was highly unlikely she would have been able to- wait a minute. She stumbled upon a bear? His eyes widened to the size of his grandmother’s finest china. “You saw a bear?” He asked as he looked up at her, all previous scolding forgotten. “You saw a real bear? Like, big teeth and claws and ferocious-like?” She chuffed at him, which he didn’t mind now, as she nodded her head up and down.

“I knew there had to be bears out here!” He whooped as he sprang to his feet. He practically bounced on the balls of his feet, looking up at the bemused dragon as he said, “My cousins said there weren’t anything like that out here, but my other cousin! Bilbo! He said of course there has to be big beasts out here, because otherwise we’d be overrun by all sorts of little vermin! But nobody really listens to him because he’s Old Mad Baggins and he’s not respectable ever since he ran off with-“

He was silenced by a scaly finger pressing upon his lips, and while she made no sound her eyes laughed for her as they glittered down at him.

He smiled at her while she drew her hand back away from his mouth. Then his stomach growled. His cheeks turned a faint pink as he asked, “I don’t suppose you could spook another bear?” Elizabeth rolled her eyes again as she rose to her feet. Then she wrote, _I’m afraid there’s no time. The sooner we get moving the sooner we might be able to find something though._ The hobbit cheered and they set out once more, her long stride forcing the fauntling to scurry beside her. He chatted idly at her, listening to her rumbling thrums and taking them as positive responses.

A few hours had gone by, and the two had drifted into companionable silence. Occasionally Frodo would be distracted by a beetle or a flit of butterflies, but Elizabeth’s sharp sounding calls would send him running back to her. It was amusing, really. This continued until-

“Blackberries!” The hobbit squealed as he sprinted ahead of the dragon that was too startled by his sudden outburst to dash after him. Her eyes trailed after him as he skidded to a halt in front of his newfound treasure. There were several bushes of them, plenty for him, but he stopped before he even started. He looked back at Elizabeth. She merely nodded her head at him and lay down close by, watching him while her ears slowly rotated in every direction listening for anything that might approach.

Frodo beamed back at her, and then went to town on the helpless berries. He ate and ate until he could eat no more. His face and hands were purple from the juice, and his shirt and vest were horribly stained. Still, he was content, and let out a loud sigh of content as he patted his stomach. Yes sir, he was full, and it was such a lovely feeling. Elizabeth chortled at him, and then motioned toward the river. He followed her gaze, and couldn’t help but pout. He didn’t want to wash! So he crossed his arms and turned his head away from her.

It’s not like she could make him!

Oh how wrong he was. The next thing he knew he was suddenly in the air by the scruff of his shirt collar. “Hey!” He hollered and flailed while his eyes widened comically. He was being carried by her teeth! Her _teeth!_ Like he was some sort of disobedient kitten!“What’re you doing? Put me down! I said put me- oh no, not like this! No, don’t put me down! Don’t-!”

_Splash!_

Frodo reared up with a gasp. He wiped at his eyes as he coughed. As he rose to his feet he moved his hair out of his eyes, and then promptly glared at Elizabeth. The dragon laughed at his expression, lips drawn back into a large grin. Then she pointed back to the water. He grumbled quietly to himself as he wiped at his face and hands, doing his best to get most of the juice off. As he did this he heard the strangest sound, and then whump, whump! The loud thuds made him look up sharply, expecting something to have happened.

What he saw made him stop completely.

Elizabeth was rolling on the sand like some sort of large dog. She grunted and growled, seemingly in pleasure, as her legs kicked out. She wiggled to and fro, tail thumping against the ground as her wings moved up and down. Then she rolled onto her stomach, looking quite pleased with herself, before rising to her feet. She went into the water next to him and lay down beside him, eyes aglow.

He peered at her scales. They looked… cleaner, even more shiny than usual. He shook his head, and then splashed her side. “That’s for dropping me in here, you terrible thing,” He scolded playfully. She thrummed, watching him with gleaming eyes, and then used her tail to send a wave of water at him. It crashed into his chest and sent him flat on his back. He came up coughing and laughing at the same time. “It’s on!” He exclaimed as he began to use his feet to splash back at her.

Elizabeth roared at him as she jumped to her feet and retaliated with an assault of her own. This went on for quite some time before they were laughing at each other. This was silly! They were silly, and it was wonderful. It was nice to feel a sense of normality even though deep down he was tinged with grey sadness for the loss of his parents. He pushed the thoughts away. As she bent down he clambered onto her back, and together this way they left the river.

They were soaked, and he was quite sure that his face was perfectly clean thanks to their play fight. Water dripped from his hair and clothes like little waterfalls.

She let him down, and looked at him mischievously. Her lips tugged back into a small smirk.

“What? Hey!” He squawked as she shook herself like a dog, sending water droplets flying every which way. Her wings unfurled, sending a gust of wind to buffet him as well as more water. They folded back against her sides while she chuffed at him. He wrung some of the water out of his shirt and hair while she continued on walking down the shore. Soon the sand ended and now it was made of grass, shrubs, and other thick brush. The dragon had paused, looking back at him, and he flushed as he called, “I’m coming!”

Frodo dashed after her and they returned to walking side by side one another.

“It’s a pleasant day today,” He said as he began to chatter away at the dragon. She’d answer with small trills, thrums, or facial expressions which only led him to further prattle on about hobbit life. “And do you know what happened next? He stepped on the blade which made the hoe smack him right in the face! And that’s why when you put a hoe down, you put it work side down, and handle side up!” Frodo chirped as he grinned. “Which reminds me of another- Hey, what’s the matter?” He asked as he looked up at her.

She wasn’t looking at him, not even from the corner of her eye. Her gaze was ahead and her ears were perked. She wasn’t even listening! He was about to get very cross with her when she suddenly smiled down at him, and then crouched down. He went to climb on her back, as he thought that is what she wanted, when she suddenly moved away into a scuttling crawl. Was she… trying to be stealthy? It was a comical sight, and he had to smother his giggles with his hands. Still, if a dragon was trying to be discreet, then so should he. So he mimicked her, bending at the waist, and crept after her.

More time passed, this time with Frodo chattering away at the dragon. She’d answer with small thrumming noises or facial expressions, which only led him into further prattle about hobbit life. Then she’d suddenly stopped him by putting her hand over his mouth. His eyes widened as he watched her, her ears perked. A grin appeared on her muzzle and she suddenly moved ahead, but crouched low. It was ridiculous looking, seeing a large creature like herself attempt to be stealthy. Still, he mimicked her, and followed.

“And I told him!”

“Is that right? Well good for you, son! About time someone told him what’s for.”

Were those hobbits talking? Talking about everyday things? His heart began to hammer in his chest as he surged forward, moving until he stopped behind some of the thicker brush. He peaked through the leaves. Yes! It was! There were three of them and it looked like they were having a picnic. Were those sandwiches? Oh cucumber sandwiches how delightful! He was about to shoot out from the safety of the bush when he stopped and looked back.

Elizabeth was there, laying on her belly, and looking at him questioningly. As if she were saying why aren’t you going? This is what we agreed to. Well, agreed to or not, there was no way he could leave her now! Not when they were friends. He blinked, and then a slow smile came on his face. Yes, they were friends, and she was the best one he’d had in a long time. By this point the dragon was motioning for him to continue, to go through to the others. Frodo shook his head stubbornly and mouthed no as he crossed his arms.

Her brow furrowed as she shook her head right back at him. As quietly as she could she moved the leaves and other debris covering the ground, and smoothed the ground. She wrote, _I can’t go with you, Frodo._

He glared at her.

_I’m a dragon. Your people will not take well to me._

“I did!” He whispered harshly.

_And you’re very sweet, but you thought I was going to eat you remember? I think they will think the same, but they won’t take the time to read what I write._

“I can convince them! You’re very nice and smart!” He said quietly.

_It’s nice of you to think this way._ She rubbed her chin, and then beamed at him as she wrote: _Tell you what. I’ll follow you from the forest line to the best of my abilities and see you safely off to your nearest relatives, okay?_

Frodo inhaled deeply, and then nodded his head. “Alright, I’ll go, but only if you agree to meeting me after dark.” He looked at her imploringly, and the dragon sighed. She stopped midway though, not wanting to surprise the other hobbits, and nodded her head slowly. She even held out her hand to him, and Frodo grabbed it firmly. They shook on it, and he grinned broadly at her. “It’s a deal,” He whispered before he turned around and peeped through the brush again. He steeled himself, then broke his way through the dense foliage before he changed his mind, and startled all of the other hobbits.

“Goodness gracious, lad! What’re you doing out here?”

“What happened to your clothes?”

“Where’re your parents?”

The barrage of questions sent Frodo into blinking rapidly, and he couldn’t help but look over his shoulder. He saw a flash of sapphire before it drew back into the protection of the brush, and he took a deep breath. He could do this. He would answer their questions. “Whatever are you looking at, dear boy?” One of the hobbits asked; an older looking fellow with curly brown hair and sharp looking hazel eyes. He seemed to be the trio’s leader.

“I, I’m… I’m looking for a bear,” He said, grinning at his own inward knowledge. He was certain he heard Elizabeth chuff, but it was drowned out by the hobbit to his left. He was a shrewd looking creature with a pinched face and cobalt eyes. “A bear, this far out here? Nonsense! There are none this deep in the Shire. You mark my words, lad, the Bounders would have-“

“Hush, Horatio!” The first snapped looking quite annoyed with his companion. “Can’t you see the boy’s been through the mire and back?” He turned his attention back to Frodo. “I say, lad, whatever happened to your clothes?”

“And why are you out here?” The last one questioned as he looked at Frodo with concern. He was by far the fattest of the three with a small mop of red curls on his head. His clothes looked a bit tight, but from the stitch marks on his vest it appeared this would be the last time they could be let out.

“My name is Frodo. Frodo Baggins, and… I was on a-“

“I say! Weren’t your parents going boating today? I heard from my cousin who heard from his aunt who heard from her brother that they were going on about it all last week! If you’re out here, then where-?“ Horatio was cut off by a sharp elbow from the pudgy one, who motioned to the boy. Said boy dared not to meet their gaze, as he was sure theirs would drop in pitiful sorrow. He fidgeted a bit and wrung his hands, feeling the uncomfortable silence blanketed them.

“…Oh, I see. Well, I am sorry for your loss dear boy.” The first gently grabbed his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. “We’ll take you back to your mother’s relatives, Brandy Hall, eh? It’s not too far from here, but first things first. You’re going to eat! Horatio, Wendell, let us get some food in this little fellow eh? Long walk from here to there.”

Frodo nodded his head, but he didn’t really pay that much attention to the rest of their conversation. As he sat down next to the leader (whose name he later learned was Tipton) he ate all that they offered him, and what offerings they were! There were sandwiches and muffins and all sorts of other delectable items. He ate as much as he could; occasionally nodding his head when someone asked him a small-talk sort of question (“Is it good? Oh wonderful! I’ll tell my wife you like them. You know, she’s-“). About forty minutes later they were finished, with plenty to spare, and were packing up the left overs into their respective baskets.

He pretended to pocket some of the sandwiches for snacks on the trip back, but when the adults turned their backs Frodo left them by the thicket. He whispered to the leaves, “Thank you for everything, and don’t forget to meet me tonight!” Then he hurriedly went after the trio of adults, following after them down a well-worn path. He glanced back over his shoulders, and had to smother a smile as he watched a sapphire hand drag the sandwiches out of sight. He idly hoped she wouldn’t starve out there without his help, but pushed the thoughts away as Tipton drew an arm around his shoulder. He gave another comforting squeeze to the young fauntling, and Frodo leaned into the comfort without thought.

Elizabeth couldn’t help but smile at Frodo’s thoughtfulness. While she was starving, at least these would drop her hunger from ravenous to only slightly ravenous. She gulped them down so quickly she didn’t even taste them. Then she trailed after the group, continuing to keep low and far behind in the thicker parts of the underbrush. It was quite difficult to do considering she was so large, and sometimes she’d have to wait until they were mere specs in her vision before she could continue to follow them. While she thought the boy was silly to continue to want her company.

But, she had struck an accord, and she wouldn’t break it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The three hobbits are made up, although I might keep them. I'm sorry for the lack of illustrations. My newborn daughter is quite a handful, but Elizabeth's reference is almost complete! If you wish to know what her face looks like then look to my icon. It's an initial idea sketch, but it'll give you an idea as to what she looks like facially. :3
> 
> Also if anyone is wondering why Frodo is so trusting? I figured one due to being a child, and two she's been nothing but kind to him. Plus who wouldn't want a dragon for a friend when they were a kid?

**Author's Note:**

> Now that’s done with I would like to thank everybody for even bothering to spare a glance at this fic. My posting will be slow as I have a newborn daughter to take care of, but fear not! I will continue writing even though I might be the only one reading my work. Ha ha. As of right now there aren’t any pairings, but there may be some down the road (Maybe Thilbo). Please leave me comments and crits: good, bad, ugly, whatever! They help motivate me into writing more good stuff. :3
> 
> Fursona: an online representation usually shown as some sort of animal, or animal mix.


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